Chapter 2 is about ISTE standard TF-II, where the technology facilitator plans and designs learning environments and experiences. This chapter was much more challenging because even though it of course dealt with technology, it actually was about something much deeper and much harder to change. The underlying concept of this chapter was the idea of student-centered, or constructivist, learning. In this model the student is the focus as they are engaged in authentic, multi-disciplinary tasks. The role of the teacher is primarily that of a coach or mentor.
The book kept stressing that you need to expose the teachers to research on constructivism so they have a convincing argument to change their mind. The other piece is that the training and support you give the teachers has to also follow a constructivist format. By experiencing the lesson themselves in this way, the teachers may come to see the benefit and importance of it. It is also more likely to be remembered.
As an instructional math coach, this model was a major component of out teacher-training. We had the teachers read articles, perform authentic math tasks, and then use the standards and the curriculum to collaboratively design their own tasks. The feedback and energy to these trainings was incredible. While I am not yet in a position to do much of this kind of training with technology, I am completely sold on the model.
Training and designing staff development in this manner is very time-consuming. But that’s okay I think because that is exactly what we are asking our teachers to do with technology in the classroom. We want them to continue to use tech as a tool to increase critical thinking and go beyond low level thinking to higher order. Since most of the canned curriculum at our schools does a poor job of this, it will have to be designed by the teachers. And as this facilitation standard states, it will be time consuming and difficult at first until it becomes a habit of mind.
As a classroom teacher, I need to be continually reminded of the importance of student centered learning and to be constantly assessing how I am using technology in my classroom. When I really looked Levels of Technological Integration (LoTI) I wasn’t as high on the scale as I would have hoped. I use technology all the time in my classroom, but it is not as consistently higher order thinking as I would want. I wish I had a facilitator and coach to guide me through implementation of this standard! I would benefit as a teacher and my students would too.
Chapter 2 is about ISTE standard TF-II, where the technology facilitator plans and designs learning environments and experiences. This chapter was much more challenging because even though it of course dealt with technology, it actually was about something much deeper and much harder to change. The underlying concept of this chapter was the idea of student-centered, or constructivist, learning. In this model the student is the focus as they are engaged in authentic, multi-disciplinary tasks. The role of the teacher is primarily that of a coach or mentor.
The book kept stressing that you need to expose the teachers to research on constructivism so they have a convincing argument to change their mind. The other piece is that the training and support you give the teachers has to also follow a constructivist format. By experiencing the lesson themselves in this way, the teachers may come to see the benefit and importance of it. It is also more likely to be remembered.
As an instructional math coach, this model was a major component of out teacher-training. We had the teachers read articles, perform authentic math tasks, and then use the standards and the curriculum to collaboratively design their own tasks. The feedback and energy to these trainings was incredible. While I am not yet in a position to do much of this kind of training with technology, I am completely sold on the model.
Training and designing staff development in this manner is very time-consuming. But that’s okay I think because that is exactly what we are asking our teachers to do with technology in the classroom. We want them to continue to use tech as a tool to increase critical thinking and go beyond low level thinking to higher order. Since most of the canned curriculum at our schools does a poor job of this, it will have to be designed by the teachers. And as this facilitation standard states, it will be time consuming and difficult at first until it becomes a habit of mind.
As a classroom teacher, I need to be continually reminded of the importance of student centered learning and to be constantly assessing how I am using technology in my classroom. When I really looked Levels of Technological Integration (LoTI) I wasn’t as high on the scale as I would have hoped. I use technology all the time in my classroom, but it is not as consistently higher order thinking as I would want. I wish I had a facilitator and coach to guide me through implementation of this standard! I would benefit as a teacher and my students would too.